Garment carrier

ABSTRACT

A garment carrier is disclosed, comprising a former ( 3 ) having a body ( 6 ) with the opposed edges ( 8, 9 ) radiussed so that a garment wrapped round the former is not creased by being wrapped round the radiussed edges. The former is preferably generally rectangular in shape having a collar support ( 7 ) extending from one end, and the radiussed edges extending along its sides and optionally its other end. A shirt is mounted to the former by spreading out the buttoned shirt face down, placing the former on the back of the shirt with the collar support inside the back of the collar, and folding the sleeves round the radiussed edges. The shirt and former are then placed in a protective container ( 4 ) for transport, located within the container by cushioned blocks ( 20 ). The protective container may be weatherproof, and may be adapted to be secured to a bicycle.

The present invention relates to garment transportation, and is particularly concerned with providing a garment transport device which permits a garment to be transported without becoming creased.

Many people work in offices where they are expected to be formally dressed during the working day. An increasing number are choosing avoid public transport or motor vehicles for their journey to work, choosing instead to cycle or jog to work in sports attire, and change into business wear on arrival.

Having adopted this more energetic lifestyle, the problem arises of how to transport business attire to the office, while maintaining it in an acceptable state of presentation. A shirt, blouse or other garment, no matter how carefully folded initially, is likely to become creased if for example it is packed in a rucksack and shaken while the user is jogging or cycling for any distance.

For the long-distance commuter, or the overnight business traveler, preserving the appearance of business wear such as shirts or blouses has hitherto required careful packing of such garments in suitcases, and even then the garments may require pressing on arrival.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a garment transport device which is adapted to preserve the presentation state of a garment during transport, for example in a briefcase, a rucksack or a travelling case.

One aspect of the present invention provides a garment former for preserving the finish of a garment during transit, the former comprising a substantially planar body round which the garment may be wrapped, the body having a pair of generally opposed edges, said opposed edges being radiussed so as not to cause creasing to a garment fabric wrapped round the former. The radiussed edges may be parallel, or may be tapered so as to converge in the direction of their lengths.

In one particular embodiment, there is provided a shirt former for preserving the finish of at least a front portion of a shirt during transit, the shirt former comprising a body portion round which a shirt may be wrapped or folded, the body portion having upper and lower edges and opposed side edges, and a collar support adapted to be received in a collar of a shirt, the collar support extending from the upper edge of the body portion, and wherein the opposed side edges of the body portion are shaped in substantially cylindrical form to present an external radius of curvature such that a shirt folded round the side edges is not creased thereby. The opposed side edges may be parallel, or may diverge in the direction towards the collar support.

As well as the opposed edges being radiussed so as not to cause creasing to a garment fabric wrapped round the former, the lower edge extending between the side edges is advantageously also radiussed so as not to cause creasing to a garment fabric wrapped round this edge of the former.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a garment transport assembly, comprising a garment former as described above and a container adapted to receive the garment former, the container having a rigid sidewall adapted to overlie at least a portion of the garment when the garment and former are placed within the container.

In one embodiment, the garment transport assembly comprises a substantially rigid former of generally rectangular planar shape, formed at two opposite edges with edge strips of enlarged radius, so that a garment may be wrapped round the former without the edge strips creasing the garment. Such a former may be used to support garments such as shirts, blouses, skirts or trousers.

The garment transport device further comprises a protective container to receive the former and a garment or garments wrapped thereon, the protective container preferably having at least one generally rigid planar face to protect at least a part of the garment from creasing due to external pressure. The protective container or casing may be entirely formed of a substantially rigid material, or may be formed partly or entirely of flexible or resilient material.

The garment former may be provided with locating means co-operable with a complementary formation on the inner surface of the container to locate the former in a predetermined position within the container.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a garment transport device, with a protective casing, for use in a rucksack;

FIG. 2 shows an intermediate stage in wrapping a shirt round a former;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a former and detachable collar strap;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a protective casing for the garment transport device;

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a former;

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are perspective and end views, respectively, of a further alternative embodiment of the former;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a former and a shirt from the rear, showing an alternative method of securing the shirt to the former;

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of an alternative form of casing; and

FIGS. 10 and 11 are perspective views of the rear of a garment former, illustrating alternative positions for a swinging retaining arm.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of the garment transport device 1 adapted for transporting shirts and blouses. In this embodiment, a shirt or blouse 2 is wrapped round a former 3, and is then placed within a rigid protective container 4. The rigid protective container 4 is then received either in a dedicated compartment of a rucksack 5, or are simply placed in the rucksack 5 with its other contents. While the device is illustrated for use with a rucksack, the protective container 4 may be of any suitable shape, and may be adapted for use in a suitcase, trolley case, or other travelling bag.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a former 3 for use in the device. The former is made from a resilient yet stiff sheet material, such as thin metal sheet, plastics sheet material, card material or plastics foam. The former 3 comprises a generally rectangular central area 6, which may be approximately to 30 cm wide and 25 to 45 cm in length to accommodate most sizes of shirt or blouse. At one end of the central area 6 is a collar support 7 which is dimensioned to fit inside the back of the collar of a shirt or blouse, as indicated in FIG. 2. The former may be produced in different sizes, appropriate to different sizes of shirt or blouse.

The three other edges of the central area 6 are provided with a tubular edge rolls by curling the sheet material into a tubular shape. Side edge rolls 8 and 9 extend substantially parallel to each other and away from the collar support 7, and a bottom edge roll 10 extends along the edge of the former remote from the collar support 7. The edge rolls are preferably formed with an outside diameter of from 1.5 cm to 5 cm.

In a region of the central area 6 adjacent to the collar support 7, a retaining clip 11 is struck from the material of the former and bent slightly upwards (as seen in the Figure) out of the plane of the central area 6, towards the rear.

In the illustrated embodiment, the collar support 7 includes a pair of slits 12 a and 12 b, through which an elongate flexible yet resilient collar strap 13 may be passed. One long edge of the collar strap 13 is formed with cutouts 14 at predetermined spacings to correspond with standard collar sizes. To attach the collar strap 13 to the collar support 7, one end of the collar strap 13 is passed upward through slit 12 a, then the strap is bent round and the end passed downward through slit 12 b, and the strap is drawn through so that the slits 12 a and 12 b engage the mid-part of the collar strap. Alternatively, the collar strap 13 may be attached permanently to the collar support 7 by welding or bonding, or may be detachable it fixed to the collar support 7 by means of a stud or a hook-and-loop faster. In a further alternative (not illustrated), the collar support 7 may have laterally-extending portions curved round into the shape of a collar, these portions being optionally resilient.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the rigid container 4 into which the garment 2 and former 3 will be received. In this embodiment, the container comprises a cylindrical body 15, substantially elliptical in cross section, having a side wall 16, a base 17 and an open end 19. A lid 18 is engagable with the upper end of the side wall 16 to close the open end 19 of the container. The base 17 of the container comprises a pair of cushioning blocks 20, on which the garment 2 and former 3 will rest when in the container, to locate the former 3 in place. The side wall 16 may also be provided with attachment means such as brackets or hooks 21, to which a carrying strap or other supporting structure may be attached. The hooks 21 may be adapted for attaching the container to, for example, a luggage rack of a bicycle or motorcycle.

As an alternative to, or in addition to, the cushioning blocks 20 the former 3 may be provided with an attachment device (not shown) for fixing to a complementary formation on the internal surface of the container body 15 to support the former 3 in the desired position within the container. The attachment device may be formed from, or fixed to, the retaining clip 11 so as to be exposed when the former 3 has a garment folded on it.

In order to transport a shirt (or blouse) using the garment transport device, the shirt or blouse is preferably a first ironed or pressed, and any buttons on the front (or rear) of the garment fastened. The collar is folded into its normal wearing configuration, and the shirt spread out on a flat surface with the front of the garment downwards.

The former 3 is then placed on the back of the shirt, with the collar support 7 extending into the back of the collar and the central area 6 lying flat on the back of the shirt. The collar strap 13 (if provided) is arranged to lie within the collar, with two of the cutouts 14 being placed over the collar button to hold the collar strap 13 in place.

One side of the shirt is then drawn round the side edge roll 8, to overlie the central area 6, with the sleeve extending over the side edge roll 9. The sleeve is then folded back on itself in a number of folds, so that the length of the sleeve lies between the side edge rolls 8 and 9.

The other side of the shirt is then drawn round the side edge roll 9, to overlie the central area 6, with the second sleeve extending over the side edge roll 9. The second sleeve is then folded back on itself in a number of folds, so that the length of the sleeve lies between the side edge rolls 8 and 9. The central area 6 now has the two side regions of the shirt lying over it, with the two sleeves folded down between the side edge rolls 8 and 9. The user then grasps the lower edge (tail) of the shirt, and folds it upwardly round the bottom edge roll 10. This results in the lower front of the shirt being exposed, and overlying the folded portions of the shirt on the central area 6. The tail of the shirt may then be carefully tucked into the retaining clip 11, which will then hold the folded shirt or blouse in place on the former.

The shirt and former are then placed into the body 15 of the container 4, with the bottom edge roll 10 resting on the support blocks 20. The support blocks are preferably formed from soft resilient foam material, so as not to create creases in the shirt material between the bottom edge roll 10 and the blocks 20.

The assembly is completed by applying the lid 18 to close the open end 19 of the container body 15. The lid may also have internal cushioning blocks to engage an upper edge of the former 3. In the embodiment seen in FIG. 1, the container 4 is downwardly tapering and the former 3 may be likewise tapered so as to snugly fit between the tapering sides of the container 4. The container 4 may then be placed into a rucksack or other carrying case, for transport.

On arrival at the destination, the lid 18 is removed and the shirt 2 and former 3 are taken out of the container body 15, so that the shirt 2 may be carefully unwrapped from the former 3 in a reversal of the previously-described process. The substantially rigid central area 6 of the former, which underlies the chest area of the shirt or blouse, maintains this area of the shirt crease-free during transport. While it is anticipated that some loss of finish may be caused to the sleeves and tail of the garment, slight creasing in these areas is generally not noticeable and the presentation quality of the garment is preserved.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative configuration for the garment former. In this configuration, the former comprises a generally hollow tubular body 30 having a side wall 31 of elliptical shape in cross-section, with a collar support 37 extending from one end of the tubular body 13, either as an extension of the wall of the body or as a separate component attached thereto. In the wall of the body 30 opposite the collar support 37, a retaining clip 38 may be struck from the thickness of the side wall of the body 31. At the end of the body 30 remote from the collar support 37, the body may be closed by a convexly-curved base.

The former shown in FIG. 5 is used in the same way as that of FIG. 3, the former being placed with the collar support 37 inside the back of a shirt collar, and the sides of the shirt then being folded over the tubular body 30. The smoothly curved contours of the body prevent this folding from causing creasing in the garment. A collar strap such as 13 may be attached to the collar support 37, either by the use of slits as described in relation to the embodiment of FIG. 3, or by a releasable fastening such as a burr-type fastener, or by a permanent fixing such as by adhesive or welding. In this embodiment of the former, the tubular body 30 may serve as a container for small items such as cuff links, toiletries or garments, which may be placed within the body 30 prior to wrapping the shirt or other garment around it.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective and end views, respectively, of a further embodiment of the former. In this embodiment, the former comprises a substantially rectangular plate 40 of rigid material, one end of the plate 40 being reduced in width to form a collar support 42 extending from the one end of the plate 40. Along the sides of the plate, resilient cylindrical rolls are attached to the plate, to provide a radius of curvature around which a garment may be folded without creasing. A collar strap 45 of resilient flexible material is attached to the collar support 42. In this embodiment, one end of the collar strap 45 is provided on its outer face with one part 46 a of a hook and loop fastener, while the other end of the collar strap 45 is provided on its inner face with the complementary part 46 b of the hook and loop fastener. The collar strap 45 may thus be adjusted to the correct size of the collar and fixed by engaging the complementary parts 46 a and 46 b of the fastener. In this embodiment, the plate 40 may be of metal or plastics material, while the resilient cylindrical rolls 43 and 44 are formed from foamed plastics material, foam rubber or other resilient material. The operation of the former is substantially as has been described above, the former being placed on to the back of a shirt with the collar support 42 and collar strap 45 arranged within the shirt collar, and the sleeves are then drawn back round the former and finally the tail is folded up round the bottom of the former. In order to avoid the edge of the plate 40 remote from the collar support 42 from creasing the shirt, a further resilient edge roll (not shown) may be provided to extend along this edge of the plate 40. If the plate 40 is made from magnetic material, the tail and folded parts of the shirt may be held in place by applying a magnet (not shown) to grip the shirt tail to the plate. Alternatively, a resilient clip may be struck from the material of the plate, or a hinged clip may be attached to the plate, to provide a means for securing the garment in place on the former.

In a further embodiment similar to that shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the resilient rolls 43 and 44 may be replaced by an inflatable air chamber or chambers, allowing the former to be packed flat for shipping or storage by deflating the air chambers. When the former is to be used, the user can manually inflate the air chamber or chambers to provide the necessary radius of curvature for crease-free folding of the garment.

In a further alternative means for securing a shirt or blouse to the former, illustrated in FIG. 8, the former may be provided with a strap 50 attached to or adjacent to the collar support 7, and extending downwardly (as seen in the Figure) along the rear face of the central section 6, which is uppermost when folding a shirt onto the former. The strap is provided, at or near its free end, with means for securing the strap to the shirt tail, for example by providing a buttonhole 51 in the strap which can engage a button of the shirt or blouse. The strap may be elasticated, and may be provided with a plurality of buttonholes. Alternatively, the strap may include a clip (not shown) at its free end for engaging the hem of the shirt.

Once the shirt or blouse has been folded on to the former, as described above, the strap 50 is pulled down over the tail of the shirt and secured to a button of the shirt, preferably with a slight tension in the strap 50, to retain the shirt in place. The strap 50 may be provided as an alternative to, or in addition to, the retaining clip 11.

In a yet further alternative means for securing a shirt or blouse to the former, illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the retaining clip may be a separate component of the former. In this embodiment, the former comprises a body 6 with a collar support 7 as before, the body 6 being an elongated rectangular structure with curved edge roll portions 8 and 9 extending along its longer sides, and a curved bottom edge roll portion 10 extending along its edge opposite the collar support 7. The curved edge roll portions 8, 9 and 10 are formed in this embodiment by a strip of foam material extending along three sides of the body 6. The retaining clip is in the form of an arm 110 pivotally mounted to the body 6 of the former about a pivot axis X-X adjacent and parallel to the edge of the body 6 on which the collar support 7 is formed. The arm 110 is mounted for swinging movement from a retracted position shown in FIG. 10 in which the arm 110 extends along the rear face of the central section of the former towards the edge 10 opposite the collar support 7, to the lifted position shown in FIG. 11 in which the arm 110 extends upwardly past the collar support 7. The pivoting joint between the arm 110 and the body 6 may be such that the arm 110 remains in the lifted position once placed there, but is resiliently biased towards the retracted position at least when the arm is in or near the retracted position shown in FIG. 10.

To place a shirt or blouse on the former, the shirt is laid front-downwards as described before, and the collar support 7 of the former is placed inside the rear of the collar so that the body 6 of the former overlies the back of the shirt. The arm 110 is pivoted up so that it extends across the collar, exposing the rear face of the body 6 of the former. The sleeves of the shirt are then folded over the former as described before, and the tail of the shirt folded upwardly round the lower edge of the former. The arm 110 is then pivoted downwardly to overlie the folded tail of the shirt, the resilience of the arm keeping the shirt in place on the former.

The pivoting arm in this embodiment is formed at its free end with a hook 111 to enable the former to serve as a hanger for a garment, when the arm is in the extended position shown in FIG. 11. By placing the former inside the garment with the arm 110 extending out through the neck of the garment and the edges of the former adjacent the collar support 7 engaging the inner surface of the shoulder yoke of the garment, the hook 111 may be used to hang the garment on a rail or the like.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative form of container 4 for enclosing the garment 2 and former 3 for transport. In this embodiment, the container is tubular and has neither a base nor a lid, but simply comprises a generally elliptical-section side wall 52. The side or may be tapered in the axial direction, so that a garment and former introduced at the larger end will locate within the container 4 by engaging the inside of the side wall. In the illustrated embodiment, the side wall 52 is not continuous, but has a section 53 formed from an elastic fabric material. In use, the former is placed within the container so that the front of the shirt is held between the former and the section 54 of the side wall 52 which is opposite the flexible section 53.

In a yet further alternative form of container 4, the container may be made entirely from fabric material, and may be elasticated to closely engage a garment on the former. To afford further protection to the garment, the fabric may be water-resistant or waterproof.

The embodiment described in relation to FIG. 1 shows the container 4 dimensioned to be received into a rucksack 5. It will be understood that the container 4 may be shaped to fit into any travelling case, and in a particularly advantageous embodiment a travelling case may be provided with a dedicated compartment to receive the container 4. The compartment may have separate access from outside the case, allowing the container 4 to be inserted and/or removed without exposing the other contents of the case, and vice versa.

The container 4 may be made of rigid weatherproof material, and may be adapted for carriage by bicycle by the provision of external attachment means such as pannier hooks for attaching the container directly to a carrying rack or other structure mounted to a bicycle.

In an alternative embodiment of the former 3 and container 4, intended for transporting items such as trousers and skirts, the former may comprise a central body having radiussed opposed edges so that a folded pair of trousers or a folded skirt may be wrapped round the former 3, and placed within a container 4 for transport. The central body of the former may be a sheet of metal or plastics material, the radiussed edges being formed by curling edge regions of the sheet material of the body. Alternatively, the body may be a tubular structure having front and back walls joined at adjacent edges by curved sidewalls. In yet a further alternative, the body may be a block of lightweight material with radiussed sides. 

1. A transport assembly for transporting a shirt or blouse, comprising a shirt former and a container adapted to receive the shirt former, the shirt former comprising: a body portion round which a shirt may be folded, the body portion having front and rear faces, upper and lower edges and opposed side edges; and a collar support extending from the upper edge of the body portion; wherein the front face of the body portion is adapted to engage the outside of the back of the shirt, with the collar support received in the back of the collar of the shirt; and wherein the opposed side edges and the lower edge of the body portion are shaped in substantially cylindrical form to present an external radius of curvature such that a shirt folded round the side and lower edges is not creased thereby.
 2. The transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the body portion of shirt former is substantially planar and formed from sheet material; and the opposed side edges and the lower edge of the body portion are thickened relative to the body portion of the shirt former.
 3. The transport assembly according to claim 2, wherein the body portion of the former is a substantially rectangular planar element, and cylindrical elements are attached to the side edges of the planar body portion.
 4. The transport assembly according to claim 3, wherein the cylindrical elements are formed from resilient material.
 5. (canceled)
 6. (canceled)
 7. (canceled)
 8. The transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein the shirt former is provided at its rear face with a retaining clip adapted to hold a folded shirt in place on the shirt former.
 9. The transport assembly according to claim 8, wherein the retaining clip is attached to the body of the shirt former by a hinge.
 10. (canceled)
 11. The transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises at least one flexible or resilient sidewall.
 12. The transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein the container is a substantially rigid container.
 13. The transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises external attachment means.
 14. The transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises internal cushioning and locating means to locate a shirt and former within the container.
 15. (canceled)
 16. The transport assembly according to claim 1, wherein the shirt former is provided with engagement means for engaging a complementary formation on the inner surface of the container to locate the former in a predetermined position within the container.
 17. (canceled)
 18. A shirt former for preserving the finish of at least a front portion of a shirt during transit, the shirt former comprising: a body portion round which a shirt may be folded, the body portion having front and rear faces, upper and lower edges and opposed side edges; wherein the front face is adapted to engage the back of a shirt and a collar support adapted to be received in the back of a collar of the shirt extends from the upper edge of the front face of the body portion; and wherein the opposed side edges and the lower edge of the body portion are shaped in substantially cylindrical form to present an external radius of curvature such that a shirt folded round the side and lower edges is not creased thereby.
 19. (canceled)
 20. The shirt former according to claim 18, wherein the body portion is a substantially rectangular planar element, and cylindrical elements are attached to the side edges and lower edge of the planar body portion.
 21. The shirt former according to claim 20, wherein the cylindrical elements are formed from resilient material.
 22. (canceled)
 23. (canceled)
 24. (canceled)
 25. (canceled)
 26. The shirt former according to claim 18, further comprising a retaining means operable to retain a folded shirt to the body portion of the former.
 27. The shirt former according to claim 26, wherein the retaining means comprises a resilient element mounted to the body portion of the former.
 28. (canceled)
 29. (canceled)
 30. (canceled)
 31. The shirt former according to claim 26, wherein the retaining means is attached to the body of the former by a hinge.
 32. (canceled)
 33. (canceled)
 34. (canceled)
 36. (canceled) 